Stress is a big word for those who suffer from PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Disorder). PCOS symptoms such as acne, depression, and excess hair trigger higher levels of stress and thus worsen PCOS symptoms. As a result, you experience a vicious cycle.
The physical manifestations of PCOS, like weight gain and acne, amongst others, can severely impact self-esteem and body image, contributing to high levels of perceived stress.
Furthermore, the constant emotional strain of managing a chronic health condition like PCOS is another significant source of stress. Your stress hormones, cortisol, mediates the interaction of stress and the disease – this can lead to overproduction of cortisol, which affects metabolic homeostasis.
Stress management is critical in PCOS management as it can reduce symptoms and onset of complications.
Mindfulness
Mind-body practices are great stress busters. They lower cortisol and stress levels within the body, as well as blood pressure and glucose. There’s a significant reduction in anxiety and worry – you’ll gain here enhanced mental peace. Another benefit you can reap from this is reduced cortisol levels in the body.
Mindfulness practices cut stress down and help boost mental wellness. Focus on controlled breathing exercises can help you too – it’s a powerful tool against stress.
Task Prioritization
Work is a huge chunk of where stress comes from. However, stress is normal. There’s good stress and there’s the bad stress. The good stress pushes us to grow into better people.
If you are in a position where you are busy and overwhelmed, you have to prioritize. Identify and then mark your priorities by urgency. The thing that’s due today? Submit it today.
Join Online Communities
PCOS is a difficult disease to navigate. Thus, you need a support group to navigate the disease. If you don’t have friends in real life who have PCOS and will understand the frustrations of the disease (acne, missed periods, infertility, moodiness, depression, hair loss and everything else), then you can benefit from joining online communities.
We recommend being active in online forums or social media groups for people who have PCOS. Although it might be a long-term disease, it is possible to brave and manage your symptoms. A few people even managed to beat the disease with a whole lifestyle change.
However, an online community may not be sufficient if you want to go all day. We recommend for more concrete ways to help manage your systems are to:
- Get in touch with your ob-gyne
- Work with a dietician who specializes in PCOS
- Work with a trainer who understands PCOS; a lot of trainers are not familiar with how PCOS works
Explore New Hobbies
Of course, we also recommend having new hobbies to help you destress. One we can recommend is E-bingo because it is convenient, easy to learn and accessible. It’s also quite spontaneous and facilitates social interaction – something people can all benefit from.
Set New Goals And Be Realistic
Lastly, you have to shift your mindset into a more positive one. Set doable and realistic goals; this can save you increased stress.
Wrapping Up
PCOS is hard. But it’s manageable, especially if you shift your mindset into a more positive one and make the necessary changes. With stress management, you can lessen the boost of cortisol in your body and combat complications from it. Remember: you’re not alone!
